To most of the world, the Grammy Awards excitement peaks Sunday night. But by the time show starts, most of the music industry is already partied out.

Each year, the week leading up to the ceremony has grown increasingly packed with lunches, cocktail parties and artist showcases. Among the schmooze-fest’s highlights this year was an event thrown Friday night by MusiCares, a charity for music-world people in need, which featured performances by James Taylor, Lady Gaga and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler.

At the same time Beats Electronics LLC threw a sweaty, star-studded party at a nearby theater to celebrate the launch of its subscription service, Beats Music. Beats founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre made a playlist “come to life,” and Dr. Dre took the stage along with hip-hop icons such as Eminem, Diddy and Nas.

On Saturday afternoon Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group showcased its Grammy nominees, including eventual winners like country’s Kacey Musgraves, at a dimly lit cheeseburger luncheon at a nightclub in Hollywood. UMG’s chairman and chief executive, Lucian Grainge, held court at a long center table and riffed on political commentator James Carville’s famous campaign-strategy slogan: it’s “the economy, stupid.”

Said Mr. Grainge: “It’s the music, stupid.”

Mr. Grainge was honored again Saturday evening at a star-studded pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton. Hosted by octogenarian industry veteran Clive Davis, it was one of the most coveted tickets of the week, featuring performances by Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke and R. Kelly, who sang a tribute to the late Nelson Mandela, backed up by African dancers.

The evening began with a funny video in which the London-born Mr. Grainge pretended to be begging artists to appear in a music video, while the stars feigned indifference: Taylor Swift, for example, put Mr. Grainge on hold to paint her nails and play with her pet cat, while Rod Stewart blew a hair-dryer to convince Mr. Grainge that he was on a plane.

“Wow, singlehandedly running the music business is really going to your head,” Sting told Mr. Grainge in the video.

A bevy of parties followed the Grammy awards Sunday night, including one at a steakhouse hosted by Sony Corp.’s Sony Music Entertainment; a UMG bash at a hip new hotel downtown and a Billboard magazine party around a hotel pool in Hollywood. But by that point, many revelers were crying mercy.